The Thing With Surprises
by eris-ed95
Summary: It's your birthday and the Campers in Camp-Half Blood have a surprise for you - except things don't always go as planned. Percabeth, Jasper, basically canon.


**Author's Notes:**

Hey there. So, this is my first fanfic - I realize, if anyone's reading this, you probably don't know much about me (I have to go update my profile) but I wasn't going to post this at all. I wrote it in August for my younger sister's birthday (**writingwhiz20 **on here), and I didn't really take too much time on it, so forgive me if there are still mistakes or grammar problems. And there isn't much of a plot either - I wrote it with my sister being the main character, so when I say 'you' I'm talking about her.

You can read this however you want, the 'you' can be an OC, or you, or whatever. I don't even know if I'm making sense here. Oh, and this fic isn't even about any pairings, but I do mention some - Percabeth, Jasper (sort of), basically canon. It's set after SoN, but in Camp Half-Blood, and Jason and Piper are just randomly there. But anyway, enjoy. Sorry about the long author's note.

**Disclaimers:** Yeah, I don't own Percy Jackson or any other characters; they all belong to Rick Riordan, and any similarities to real life are purely coincidental, blah blah blah. I don't really know what to write here, lol.

You are in Hermes' cabin, a cramped, crowded space; there are people rushing here and there, with barely any space to breathe. It's gotten better since the new cabins for minor gods have been added, but today the cabin is relatively crowded with a bunch of other campers. Some of them don't even belong to the Hermes cabin. However, there's a festive atmosphere in the air, and a surprise seems to be brewing.

Though that isn't too unexpected considering this _is _the home cabin of the Stoll brothers'. So that is a bit concerning.

But you decide not to worry about that for now, because currently Leo Valdez is in your face, asking you what your favorite color is, what kind of party food you like, and whether you think someone would mind, if theoretically, they received a present that was burnt because of a slight accident? You laugh and say that, no, if, theoretically, of course, someone received a burnt present, you don't think they would be mad in the slightest. Leo looks relieved, and says to you to 'stay right there' and 'he will be right back' and scurries out of the tightly packed cabin. Chuckling, you cast your eyes about the room to have them land on none other than the Stoll brothers, who are deep in conversation with Percy and Annabeth. Though both Annabeth and Percy belong to a different cabin, it's not uncommon to see them in yours, so that particular detail doesn't bother you that much, but what does is the fact that Annabeth looks deep in thought and Percy is in plan-mode, and this is while they're talking to the _Stoll brothers_. Who have looks of mischief upon their faces. Uh oh. This can't be good.

There is still no sign of Leo anywhere, so you get up from your seat in the corner of the room, and weave your way to Annabeth and Percy. Travis hastily turns away from Percy and focuses his attention on you, and Conner and Annabeth do the same.

"Hey, uh, guys ... What's up?" you ask, an eyebrow raised questioningly. You see Percy flush and Conner elbows him in the ribs not-so-discreetly and says quickly, "Lots of things. Olympus for one. The ceiling. The sky."

"My balloon," adds Travis, with a look at Conner. "Which you stole from me and told me you'd keep safe. And then it was gone."

"That was 9 years ago!" Conner exclaims. You aren't fooled, you know that this is an attempt to change the topic and so you fix Percy with a stare.

"Come on, Percy, what is it that you guys aren't telling me?" you ask pleadingly, and you see Percy pause. But then he shakes his head quickly and says, "Sorry, but Annabeth and I have cabin patrolling to do." He grabs Annabeth's arm and pulls her out of the cabin. She nods back at you, saying, "Yeah, well, we have to check who's been keeping their cabin clean." Her eyes apologetic, she gives you a small smile, probably intended to comfort you that this is nothing bad in the general sense of the word, so you let them go, intending to interrogate Conner and Travis very thoroughly.

Which you soon find out won't be possible, because you turn around and Travis and Conner have disappeared and are nowhere to be found. You sigh, and call out, "I'm going for a short walk!" There's no need to really, but you have a feeling two of the people in the Hermes cabin have been watching you, and now you're starting to understand all the strange behavior.

Sure enough, Chris and Lana walk up to you, but you assure them, "I'll be back soon, I promise, I'm not doing something ... bad or anything." You exit quickly and breathe in some fresh air, enjoying the feel of the sun beating down on you and the cool breeze on your skin.

You pass the Arena, where you see Jason and Clarisse battling it out. You walk closer and watch for some time, when you hear a gasp behind you and turn around to find Piper staring at you.

"Hi Piper," you say cheerily.

"Hey," she answers with a smile, though something seems to be bothering her. "Um, what are you, uh, doing here?"

"Just watching Jason and Clarisse," you say, "Why? Everyone's been acting weird around me today. Did I do something wrong?" you say, worried.

"Oh, no, no, _you _didn't - I mean, - well it's not like that ... Ugh. Okay, just follow me," she says finally. "But if anyone asks, I said nothing, okay?"

"Okay," you say bemusedly, letting her lead you to the cabins. You expect her to stop but she just keeps walking. "Uhh, where are you taking me?" you ask, but you get no answer.

You stop in front of the Amphitheater, where a small crowd is assembled. Annabeth is at the front, talking to Percy.

"But why can't I be there?" Leo whines.

"Because you can't let her see you ... that's the only way the surprise is going to work," Annabeth says exasperatedly.

"Okay, listen here, Flame boy," Thalia interrupts. "You go wait behind the tree, Kelp Head and Annabeth will bring her here, and you two," – she points to Conner and Travis, "bring Jason and Clarisse here. They've fought enough for the day." Leo pouts but runs off.

"Thanks Thalia," Annabeth says gratefully. "Okay, meanwhile, you have to set up everything with Nico and Grover. Katie, you and the rest of your cabin can get the food ready. Piper, could you and your cabin take care of all the gifts? Make them look all pretty, or get new ones, whatever."

"And don't forget to check them for any traps or anything that could cause potential harm," Rachel puts in, with a look at the Stoll twins.

"We haven't done anything this time, we promise!"

"Yeah ... well. There aren't any _traps_." A glare from Annabeth. "Okay, okay, there's nothing that can cause harm either."

"I thought we told you to go get Clarisse and Jason?" Annabeth said pointedly.

"We're going, we're going," Conner says, and he and Travis scurry off.

"Finally," Annabeth sighs. "Okay, Cabin 7 is here, Cabin 9 is here ... mostly," she mutters to herself, sounding stressed.

"Annabeth?"

"Yes, Percy?"

"Calm down. Everything's gonna be – oh gods, look, Piper's back."

"That's good, why do you sound so -"

Annabeth's eyes widen as they rest on you, and Piper rushes forward, leaving you behind to stare at them. Piper is muttering something, sounding apologetic, and Annabeth is shaking her head. Piper looks miserable then, and Annabeth quickly reassures her soothingly that it's nothing that can't be fixed.

"What can't be fixed?" you ask, walking up to them.

"Oh, hi!" Percy exclaims, walking up to you and effectively blocking Annabeth and Piper from sight. "So how's your day been?"

"Good, um, I guess. Well, until you two _abandoned me _at my cabin, and then the Stolls just _left _me, and then Piper -"

"Er, well, I'm really sorry about abandoning you, but could you trust me for a second? Just – just close your eyes really quick, okay? I'll be right back." You frown. "And I actually mean it."

You realize you're standing in the middle of the amphitheater now, and wonder why Percy has positioned you here. It's almost as if it's on purpose ...

You close your eyes for a few moments, and hear a suspicious scraping sound, and something that sounds much like the crackling of a fire. Wondering if you can talk a small peek, you open your eyes to tiny slits, but you smell something burning. Alarmed, you turn around to see none other than what might be all of Camp Half-Blood assembled in front of you, and you blush as they all yell, "Surprise!"

"The source of the burning smell is located quite quickly – you see a massive sculpture behind the crowd. You suspect Annabeth to have made it – it's beautiful, with a hollow inside – a tree, made of a white plaster cast that spirals upward into branches – but in place of leaves are crackling flames. Someone, most likely Leo, has lit a candle inside of the sculpture, illuminating the whole thing and making it seem as if the tree itself is made of fire.

"Well, happy birthday," Annabeth walks up to you, smiling, yet seeming embarrassed. "I tried to set this up – apparently I'm not too good with surprises."

"Not too good?" you exclaim. "Annabeth, this is brilliant! Thank you so much!" You give her a hug, and then turn to Leo who has been standing behind her with an excited look on his face.

"Do you like it?" he asks anxiously, his excitement turning to worry, gesturing to the tree. "Annabeth planned out everything, of course, did all the architectural stuff, and Rachel helped sculpt it, but I came up with the idea, and set it on fire. That way I can't really _burn _anything, y'know? At least, this time, it's on purpose." You don't answer, just walk up to him and hug him too. "Oh," he mutters embarrassedly. "I guess it's good then," he says, smiling at you.

"Happy Birthday," Rachel says to you, as you walk up to where she's been standing and give her a big hug, and tell her thanks. "Don't thank me," she brushes off the praise. "It was really fun to make it." You smile and she grins back, telling you to call her if you decide to host someone else's surprise party.

Percy, Grover, Thalia, Nico, Piper, Jason, Katie, even Clarisse, and a bunch of other campers walk up to you and wish you a very happy birthday. You receive a conch shell from Percy, who claims he found it in the beach and that you can hear the sea especially well from it. Grover plays Happy Birthday for you on his reed pipes, though it sounds mysteriously like some 80's music you're not sure where you've heard before, but you thank him anyways, when he pulls out another air of reed pipes. "For you," he says. "Maybe you can practice and become as good as me some day," he says with a wink. You laugh and say "I'll try my best, Grover. Thanks." Thalia and Nico walk up together, giving you a tiny rock. You stare at them for a second, and then Nico laughs and hands you a magnifying glass. When you look closely you can see something engraved on it; upon closer inspection you realize it's a picture of you.

"How'd you make this?" you ask in wonder.

Nico shrugs. "I found a rock and we chiseled away."

"No, we didn't," Thalia says, rolling her eyes. "But never mind how we did it, watch this." She zaps the rock with lighting, and little sparks of electricity fly into it, lighting up the engraved portion of it to make it clearer. You smile. "Thank you so much, guys."

"Eh, it's no biggie," Thalia replies, moving away for Piper and Jason. "Happy Birthday," she calls from behind them. You smile and nod your thanks.

Piper walks up to you, looking shy next to Jason.

"We, uh, sorta made this together," Jason says. "But Piper did a lot, so she deserves all the praise."

"Don't be silly, you helped me." To you she says, "And he got you something else, too."

"I'd say you're good, Jason," you say with a chuckle. You look at what Piper is handing you, and it's a music box with Olympus and the 12 major gods painted on the front of it. You open it, and there's a small mirror on the inside of the lid, and a little figure is slowly twirling in time to the soft music. You see that it's Hestia, goddess of the hearth, holding in her palms a little fire of her own. "Oh, thank you!" you say, mesmerized by the music box. You look up and smile at both of them, and then Jason is taking a small chain out of his hand. It's a necklace, with something hanging from it – a little glass vial, which seems to be carrying electricity in it. "Oh wow," you say. "Thanks."

Jason and Piper smile at you, both wishing you a 'Happy Birthday' and they walk off, Jason calling out, "We'll talk to you later!" You nod and say hi to Katie, who has been waiting patiently for her turn. You realized there are a lot more presents, and people, than you expected.

"There are a lot more from the rest of the cabins over there, by the way," Katie says to you, as if emphasizing your thought. "Happy Birthday!"

"Thanks," you say, "but you guys shouldn't have got me so much."

"Ah, just enjoy it," Katie says with a smile.

You _are_ enjoying it though, and the Demeter campers have outdone themselves with their food, while thanks to the children of Aphrodite, your huge pile of presents look like they should be on the front cover of a magazine. Apollo's cabin had all sung you poems they'd written themselves, and Clarisse had told you enough tips on battling for you to write a book. But something seems to be missing. You shake off the feeling and head to the food table, where everyone is calling you over to cut the cake. You smile as they sing to you, and then you lean in to cut a piece, when suddenly, you realize why you'd felt something was missing, but by then it's too late –

"BOO!" Travis Stoll's head pops out of the beautiful red velvet cake you were just about to cut, covered in cream cheese frosting. You scream in shock, much to his amusement.

"_Travis Stoll, don't you dare do that to me ever again!"_ you say fiercely to him, trying to calm down. But soon, you are chuckling softly, and Annabeth, who had been standing frozen with a murderous expression on her face (no doubt aimed at Travis), joins in, as do the rest of the campers. "Well, there goes the cake, I suppose," you say, not really bothered.

"Oh, it's okay, Conner's got another one for you," Travis says. You stare at him suspiciously, but he is saved the trouble of answering by the arrival of Conner hands you a box. "It has the cake in it," he explains to you. "Go on, open it up."

You nervously lift up the cover, but find only cake in there. "See? I told you," Conner tells you. "And to think you didn't trust us? I'm offended."

You laugh and say, "Well, you are the sons of Hermes, after all."

"True," they said in unison, smiling mischievously. "Well," Travis says, "aren't you going to take the first bite?"

You cut a small piece out of this cake, which happens to be rainbow, according to Conner.

"It's good," you say, waiting for something bad to happen. You inspect yourself – you still have your wallet, your skins the same color, and your tongue seems to be the same size. "What did you do to this?" you ask them, frowning at them apprehensively.

"Nothing."

"Nothing at all."

Your question is answered a minute later when Piper points at you and gasps in shock. "Are you – are you _flying?_"

You look down, and sure enough, you realize you've been in the air and rising for some time, and Travis and Conner are collapsed on the ground in fits of laughter. Soon, though, whatever it was wears off and you land back on the ground, shooting glares at the Stoll brothers.

"Wait," Conner says. "Before you get all mad, here's our gift." Travis hands you a pair of shoes with wings on them – you remember Percy's cursed Converse at the sight of this.

"And don't worry, they aren't cursed," Travis says, as if reading your mind. "They're Toms, though, because the girls in Cabin 10 won't allow us to give you Converse."

"Happy Birthday," Conner says with a grin.

"Thanks," you say, and turning to Annabeth and the rest of them, you say, "And thanks to all of you guys, too. This was the best surprise birthday ever!"

"Oh, it's no problem," Annabeth replies tiredly, "But I think there's been enough surprising going on to last the next few months."

You laugh. "So I'm guessing that's a no to the surprise party for you, then?"

"Surprise party for me?" she asks you, looking, well, surprised.

Oops. Well, there goes that idea. You see, you've learned that the thing with surprise parties is that, it may start out being a surprise, but it's really hard to keep it that way.

Eh. I don't know. It's not beta'd ... I hope it's not too bad. The gifts are all entirely made up, I don't know if they'd actually exist in the book or not, but I hope you liked it.

Tell me what you think of the story ... Thanks :)


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